Does personal injury experience matter? 

The Old Spice commercial featuring Bruce Campbell is one of the greatest ads produced.  The one minute ad concludes with the message, “Experience Is Everything.” Mr. Campbell’s monologue speaks several truths about experience including:

• “If you have it, you need more of it.”
• “You need it to get it.”
• “If you don’t already have any of it to begin with, you can’t get any of it to get started…”

You can watch the video for yourself: Old Spice Commercial ft Bruce Campbell

After finishing law school I ran into the experience hurdle more than once on my job search.  Looking back, the hurdle pointed me into solo practice.  I have been successfully solo since 2007.

One of my first personal injury cases involved a survivor of a terrible motorcycle accident.  The client came as a referral from an existing client.  I had limited knowledge of personal injury matters at the time, but I knew enough to know that the injuries my client suffered in the motorcycle accident needed my full attention.  I relied on my network to help guide me through the case, and I worked to provide my client with answers to questions.  I wish that I could say that I was able to secure a substantial verdict of settlement for my client, but I cannot.  The client elected not to have me continue representation in this matter.  After several months of work, the client chose to have more experienced attorney represention in the personal injury matter. 

What?

To date, I don’t know the outcome of the claim.  For me, it was a tremendous, but ego bruising learning experience.  The next few years saw more personal injury cases come my way…and stay.  Experience is truly “the best teacher”. It took the bruising experience for me to grasp the magnitude of my North Carolina personal injury practice. 

For attorneys who have had similar experiences, but desire to gain experience, don’t underestimate the benefit in associating (or fee saharing) with more experienced attorneys.  For me, it was a great way to gain experience.  The end result may have been less financial gain for me, but as the commercial pronounced,“Experience Is Everything.”

If I could add one personal statement to Bruce Campbell’s monologue, it would be:

“You can’t buy it, but if you don’t have it, you will pay for it.”

By not being allowed to fully represent the client through the matter, I paid the price.  Now, I am able to share it or help others get it.  So, the “case that wasn’t” turned out to be very valuable.

Okay.

I fell into the trap.  I reviewed countless personal injury attorney and law firm blogs and decided to make a change.  My site is new – ranking very poorly against top dollar wielding attorneys and firms in the practice of North Carolina personal injury.  I know that will change with time, but in an effort to do it quickly, I started doing it wrong.

Many personal injury blogs are void of actual personality.  Like some of my posts (not the ones from here on out), the attorney’s personality is missing.  Personal injury attorneys have spent too much time rehashing news of old accidents without giving readers a sense of why it’s important.

Who cares about me posting a story about an accident on I-40? So, from here on out, I want to make this blog mean something.

For my few readers (hopefully that will change), you may not get the legalese you find on other personal injury blogs, BUT you will know that an attorney was here, and not an accident reporter.

Welcome to the improved Personal Injury Matters Blog.

Ashlie Moore (16) died on June 4th, 2010 when the SUV driven by her 18-year old boyfriend, Dillon Tart flipped several times and smashed into the outside wall of a Wal-Mart. Dillon sustained non-life threatening injuries, but faces numerous questions from the Harnett County community regarding the accident. From what I have read, news comment boards echo the sentiments of the community; some reserving judgment about the boyfriend, while others are ready to lay blame.

How could this happen?

The circumstances surrounding the accident have led to a lot of suspicion and finger pointing.

Witnesses say that they saw Tart and Moore in a heated argument inside the SUV.  Witnesses also say and surveillance cameras show that the driver (Tart) accelerated quickly and drove away at a high rate of speed.  The vehicle sped into the Wal-Mart parking lot,  struck a car, flipped over, and slammed into the outside Wal-Mart wall.

It is the events leading up to the accident that have many puzzled. Did Tart speed away angrily? Did Moore grab the steering wheel at some point? Did Tart, with a history of epilepsy, have an epileptic episode? Tart may be able to provide answers to some of these questions.

Comment posters at WRAL.com have weighed in on the story posted today, June 29, 2010.  Investigators are working to reconstruct the accident.  Possible charges may follow as the District Attorney is planning to present evidence to the Harnett County grand jury.

Two early morning incidents leave a pedestrian in Wayne County and Cumberland County injured.

Shortly after 2:00 AM in Fayetteville, a pedistrian walked into the path of an oncoming vehicle.  The accident left the pedestrian critically injured.  The driver of the vehicle was not cited for the accident.

In the Wayne County town of Pikeville, a pedestrian was struck by a vehicle on I-795 after 4:00 AM. The condition of the injured pedestrian is not known at this time.

• According to NCDOT 2006 Crash Report, a pedestrian is injured or killed every 4.8 hours.

UPDATE: Pedestrian struck on I-795 was killed

Somehow I missed this one until one of my attorney friends posted it on facebook.  An Episcopal church in Port St. Lucie displayed a headturning sign with a message:

HONK IF YOU LOVE JESUS — TEXT WHILE DRIVING IF YOU WANT TO MEET HIM.

This is probably one of the most brilliant messages that I have heard of to address the problem of texting while driving. I have seen some grotesque images of auto accidents of resulting from a driver distracted by texting, but even the images cannot compare with this message.

Texting while driving is an abosolute “no no”. Researchers liken it to driving while impaired.  On December 1, 2009, North Carolina’s texting while driving ban was enacted. Violators face $100  fine and court cost if caught.  I suspect that the legal system will show less and less grace to those who are involved in accidents as a result of texting.  According to the sign’s message, the legal system should be the least of one’s worries.